Glimmer in the Dark
by the Key of Falling Skies
Summary: We all know that these days the justice of humanity is flawed, but we also all know the definition of hope. This is a series of one-shot "rants" about events that have or could happen in real life that are unfair, even if they are just the tiniest of all problems, but here's the catch: The rants are written in warrior cat story form. Rated T, just in case.
1. Homework is Homework

**In this first chapter I will start with a small one-shot, about the dreaded HOMEWORK... (I find it boring, but still do it). Ummmm... Not all my stories will be about such... Not very problematic problems... I am open to rant suggestions. I have to mention that this is a very short story because I only wanted to make this an author's note, but that's against the rules.**

"Apprentices, you are to catch at least four pieces of prey every day after training, and for each piece of prey you must collect a pine cone and bring it back to camp." Appledusk commanded, as she had that power as deputy. " This will count as an assessment for your hunting." She completed before stalking off. _Great._ Though Scarletpaw. _Just great._

Although not too pleased with this assignment, as hunting this would take most of the free time in her day, Scarletpaw acknowledged the orders and padded back to camp after a long day of training. She shared a squirrel with her best friend before going to her nest.

The next day, in the middle of training with her mentor, the latter suddenly interrupted her training session. "Scarletpaw, I need to asses your fighting and alertness skills. In order to do this, you will need to go on seven border patrols in the next five days, and on one of these I will assess your fighting skills by trying to surprise you at a random moment, if you can pin me, you have passed the assignment and we can move on to the moonstone meeting." Darkfang instructed.

Scarletpaw nodded, not wanting to contradict her mentor and gain to chance to check to elders for ticks, but she was filled with bewilderment at the task over the next few days. She knew that this would only give her very few free time and would force her to either get up early of go to bed late, especially to catch the patrols. During the morning or afternoon, depending which patrol she took, she would have to hunt, and this was without counting the fact that she said I'll had the rest of the apprentice duties to complete. And then the senior warriors wondered why the apprentices got into so much trouble? It was quite obvious that they wanted to have some thing other to do than chores and clanwork...

While Scarletpaw and Cloudpaw rambled on about how annoying clanwork was, Misty, a kitty pet who had joined the clan and recently become and elder, was listening intently.

"You know, she said, even twolegs have to do that type of boring and long stuff." She commented emerging from the elders' den.

"Really?" Was all Cloudpaw responded in synchronization with the "What?" That Scarletpaw blurted.

Thus, was born the famous " My animal ate my homework." phrase, for from a cat to a dog to another animal, the rumour circulated, and every time a new creature learned about the dreaded homework, they banded up to fight against it, including the twolegs ( **seriously though, please do you homework people** ).

 **So... My one-shots are not all going to be um... funny(not really)-ish, because although homework is annoying and fun to make fun of... Having a bad friend or something else is not exactly what I call laughing matter (now of course there would be a few ways to make them funny, but generally speaking, not really).**


	2. Need more Time: Part One

**_WARNING:I HAD TO POST THIS IN MORE THAN ONE PART BECAUSE IT WAS APPARENTLY TOO LONG FOR IT TO DOWNLOAD WITHOUT CRASHING._**

 **Hello once again. On the request of I-Really-Hope-Not, I am making the one-shot about too short deadlines. (Ironic since this is the longest chapter I have ever written). This one will be longer than the last one:). I was aiming for at least 2,000 words, but got to 5,918 (without the author's note)! I will also mention that this is a slightly altered version of Shadowclan camp and territory. Also, the trivia game on the Warriors app is so... Bad. It gives us the wrong answers... SINCE WHEN DOES RIVERCLAN LIVE IN A TREE? (And apparently now Shadowclan cats don't use the bridge underneath the thunderpath to get to gatherings, they swing across using trees?).**

" Needlepaw, you are to patch up all of the dens so that they are safe to last for many moons by sunset tomorrow, and Snowypaw, you are to stock up on crucial herbs for Silverberry. I know that this type of final assessment is unusual, but Pebblestar decided to do another one of his 'wonderful experiments' and see how well you two work under pressure. It will be leaf are soon anyways, so think about the ways that you will be helping your clanmates." Lilyclaw, Snowypaw's mentor, explained while Pebblestar nodded approvingly and Dustwhisker stared at Needlepaw firmly as if to confirm that she has to complete the task at paw or face the consequences.

Needlepaw and Snowypaw exchanged a panicked glance, knowing far well that even the best weavers and those who knew the forest like the pad of their paw would usually take more time than that going at a comfortable pace, but the two friends knew that this was also a way to test their dedication and self sacrifice to the success of the clan and themselves, for they knew that if they passed this test they would officially be known as warriors. For a moment Needlepaw was caught up into thinking about what her warrior name could be, Needlefrost, Needlefoot, Needleclaw- "Your time starts now!" Dustwhisker called from the other end of the clearing.

 _And my free time has officially vanished,_ Needlepaw groaned inwardly, although she had to admit that she took pleasure in weaving, she hated having to do things under pressure, it just... Ruined the feeling of doing something for the fun of it. Nonetheless, now that she had permission, Needlepaw exited the camp and padded into the dense forest, feeling the frosted pine needles crunch underneath her feet.

She veered to the left, thinking of a spot where a few young pine trees grew near the thunder path. Being near Thunderclan territory, a few bramble bushes sprouted along the area, and she could recall an ivy wrapped oak tree at the edge of the border. She traversed the half-frozen marches, which were filled with trodden nettle patches, and gazed up at the clouded grey sky, ignoring her numbed muddy paws.

Arriving to destination, she did not waste any time speculating on the twolegs' strange inventions and immediately started her job. She wound her way through the sharp edges of the pine's needles and scuttled up to the top of the tree, hissing as she felt tree sap getting tangled into her fur, not looking forward to taking a dip in the river at the outskirts of the territory. When she found a reasonably tender branch, she unsheathed her claw and ran it repetitively over the soft bark of the younger branch. The she bent down and dug her teeth into the sappy pine. She let out purr of satisfaction as the branch fell loose and crashed down into the needle carpet below. She afterwards spat the thick liquid and bit back a growl as she was left with a bitter aftertaste.

She picked out two more branches and leaped back downtown the ground where she rested her sore claws into the frosted puddle that lay conveniently at her feet. What she could not get was how much more boring something could be when she was forced to do it. She looked up at the sun, noticing that it was mid-day, and felt overwhelmed by the extent of the task. She gathered the branches into a pile, being careful not to damage useful material. She then went on to cutting bramble branches, knowing that she was being a bit sloppy with her work, but also knowing that she did not have the time to make her work fancy, only efficient.

She made another stack with the brambles before bounding off to the edge of the border where the oak tree sat. In her head she ranted about how she could be doing much more entertaining things, but she had and irrational fear of mentors getting upset, and therefore continued doing her work, although she was constantly reminded by her parents that her mentor was much less strict than her imagination made it seem. maybe she could just wait some time... Before she could change her mind Needlepaw leap gracefully up the tree, enjoying the wind in her fur and the soft touch of rain, for it had started raining now, in her thick grey fur.

 **Meanwhile:**

Snowypaw carefully dug a hole underneath a young cedar trees, carefully concealing her juniper berries, yarrow, watermint, and poppy seeds inside the small hollow befor continuing her trek through the territory. This time carrying three different leaf samples, as Silverberry had given her an example of each one that she did not already know by heart. While passing by a patch of muddy ground, her attention was brought to a plant with sharp tips and a slight curve to the fuzzy green seeds. _Stinging nettle_ , she identified, or at least she hoped, correctly. She cut the plant off at the bottom of the leaf and wrapped it inside her ivy bundle. Hurrying up her pace, she halted to a stop next to a delicate white flower. She picked it at first mistake bing it for daisy before noticing that although an almost exact copy of the common flower, a plant that almost every warrior knew about, it was smaller and had a bright yellow core that look lost inside the multitude of tender petal, but stood out by its size and sudden burst of colour. Camomile? She asked herself before shrugging and picking it anyways, for she it was not a coincidence that she was at this end of the territory, one of the samples that she had placed down next to her was exactly the same, and Silverberry's instructions rang through her mind.

 _I have separated the herbs into five packages, each representing a corner of the territory, understand?_ And Snowypaw had nodded, grabbing two of the packages and leaving the other three for the next day.

Snowypaw shivered as she felt the first drop of rain touch the mid-length of her tail. She glared up at the sky, knowing that if her herbs were soggy by the time she returned, her assessment would be ruined. _What was the idea anyways?_ Snowypaw asked herself, bushing her silky white fur. _Sending an apprentice who barely has the basic knowledge of herbs after spending a half-day in the medicine den to collect twenty two different types of plants? Really?_ To be honest, although she understood that Pebblestar had the purpose of helping the apprentices to be able to have a fast reaction in case of danger, whether it was in a field of inexperience or not, she could still not be impressed with the idea that she had to be the one doing this while the other apprentices before her had simply done a more... Classical assessment.

Thinking back to the rain, which was beginning to grow more and more insistent, Snowypaw rushed back to her stash and quickly made it into a water-tight area before thanking the skies that she could leave her collection without having to be bothered to check for any hungry animals. Straight after that she cursed the assignment for the hundredth time that day, realizing that because she had no intention of letting the plants rot, she would have to initiate extra precautions to avoid her work ending up in a puddle.

Using common sense, Snowypaw thoughtfully ran her bright green gaze, similar to Needlepaw's around the pine forest. If she headed to the twolegplace to gather catmint right away, she could give the rain time to falter before having to many greens to carry underneath the cold droplets. Even during the trip there, she could seek out herbs if she found any. Nodding to her own idea,she set off to the edge of Shadowclan's territory, relieved to wash out the bitter tang of herbs in a nearby puddle, although the half-frozen state of the latter burned down her throat after she had to carry so many greens, including mint, which probably amplified the cold feeling over water even more.

When the rain started calming down after drenching Snowypaw, much to her discomfort, she finally arrived at the wooden twoleg fence that barred her way out. Carefully cuecking for intruders, she leaped to the top of the fence and gazed at the endless maze of twoleg dens, feeling her senses blur from the constant roars, chatters, acidic smells, decaying smell, flowering smells, blinding flashes, and an overwhelming sense of crowd. Even through wondering how kittypets could stand this Snowypaw felt a flicker of reckless contentment at the feeling of separation from her clan. It was as if Starclan were suddenly offering her complete freedom on a golden leaf (instead of plate since she is a cat), and she was suddenly sure that none of her clanmates were watching her if she managed to fail anything. Beyond that feeling though, was a heartwarming tug towards her family and friends, as well as the constant reminder of her task if she wanted to become a warrior, for she really did want to become a warrior.

Snowypaw still remembered her journey to the moonstone, and how Starclan had told her that the price of being a successful warrior was compromising her own happiness at times, but Snowypaw knew that she wanted the future of a warrior, but she did not want to have to be ordered around all the time, which was probably why she often secretly broke a tiny rule or two... She wanted to spend time exploring. She knew it. But as a soon-to-be-warrior, she needed to find catmint at this moment, but she planned to come back here some day when she did not need to follow a mouse-dunged time limit.

 **Meanwhile:**

Needlepaw rushed back to camp when the rain reached its climax, knowing that this was the time to use a slight bit of mud to reinforce the dens without having to seek out a puddle. She had wrapped herself in ivy until she could badly moved, strands of ivy which had pine branches and brambles stuck into them, and had moss stuck underneath her chin, mouth, and claws. If it weren't for this Starclan cursed time limit she could be... Not hidden underneath a hindering pile of den materials. She dropped just about half of her moss collection along the way and felt her grip on the rest slipping. Luckily, she arrived at camp quickly using a mostly unused passage known only by Shadowclan cats. When she walked into the camp, the few cats that were still outside froze and stared at her, until Dustwhisker broke the silence by letting out and amused purr,

" Starclan, Needlepaw! You look like somebody tried to kitnapp you using plants!" Her laughed in good nature.

" I nao." She mumbled (meaning to saw I know) around her moss-filled jaws before letting out a rare purr, as she was not the type of cat to have many friends, at the same time as Muddykit slid into the clearing with his brother Pinepaw and his sister Dropkit. The kits only took a moment before squealing and playing a game of 'Ivy Monster versus Shadowclan', but their carefree attitude was interrupted by a scowling Morningdew who wanted her kits back inside the warmth of the nursery.

"Here, let me help you,' offered Greenmist while gently pulling the tangled branches out of her fur with a firm grip.

" Thank you!" Needlepaw gasped, feeling as if she had just emerged from a sunny spot into the summer and padded into cool shade.

She then slowly made her way to the far end of the clearing to the patchy nursery that she could see the queens had blocked off with pieces out moss. She let out a sigh, knowing that this was going to be a long day. She poked her head into the hollow space, and was greeted by the quizzical interruption of the kits' squealing and the burning gazes of each and every occupant of the den, nine in total, on her pelt.

" I just came to fix the nursery," she began.

" Oh thank you!" Goldenbranch grinned. " There are a few stubborn leaks in this old things." She said, patting the wall with her dark brown paw.

" We will bring the kits to the elders for a story, that might make your work quite a lot safer." Morningdew purred, prodding a spot in the den wall that the kits had obviously punctured.

"Thank you." Needlepaw nodded respectfully before retreating to the outside of the den just as a mix and matched pack of ginger, grey, golden, black, and white kits.

She waited until their begging howls for a story faded before going back on her steps to fetch her materials. She started by laying out the pine branches, making sure to tangle them slightly into the already existent base thorn base, before filling in all of the gaps using brambles. When that was finished, she tugged on the tangled ivy string until it revealed itself in all of its length. She carefully wove it into the sharp tendrils already grasping the den walks and roof. When she was satisfied that the glossy leaves could she water if the need came. She agreed with herself that that would have to be the next day though. She sighed before trekking back to where the rest of her supplies were and added these to her already messy fur and one again carried them to camp. Luckily, this time a patrol of three warriors was sent to help her, as Greenmist happened to be a very nice deputy.

She repeated the procedure for the nursery with the warriors' bramble den, and finally realized that most of the warriors had gone to their dens, and after spending a brief moment with Needlepaw, who explained that she had left her supplies in a small hollow underneath a pine tree that she had carefully barricaded, she also went to her nest, disappointed that she still had so much work to do. She wanted to eat, sure, but still there lingered the fear of failing, and the fear of losing time.

 **Meanwhile:**

Snowypaw padded into the apprentices' den, which she noted, Needlepaw had not fixed yet. The white she-cat had not talked much while they shared their sparrow, apart from complaining briefly about how long it had taken her to get rid of the pine sap on her fur. Snowypaw wanted to sleep, yes, but she had things that she wanted to catch up on before that, so instead of doing anything, she curled up in her nest and replayed the events of the previous day in her mind. She remembered being drenched in rain, trying to find the black twoleg den amidst the commotion, and then that black kittypet who appeared at the top of a tree for one moment before leaving at the sight of Snowypaw. Snowypaw remembered finding some around a black den, as Silverberry had said, and collecting as much of it as she found carry, including getting some stuck underneath her claws along with the bottom of her chin and her back. She smiled as she thought about how ridiculous she might have looked. Luckily by then the rain had eased and she was an,e to make her way back to camp without being covered in catmint pulp. The catmint had been the only plant that she had brought back to camp. The juniper, poppy seeds, watermint, camomile, yarrow, burnet, marigold, and horsetail that she had found were still inside her hollowed out store.

She felt a jolt of discomfort at the thought of having to pick eleven other herbs, few of which she could recognize, and finally, the hardest, honey. So... Maybe she should ask Silverberry if there were any of these herbs that she could pick for bee stings. If she was lucky, she could probably catch some honey running down the smooth trunk of the bark-less maple tree at the edge of the thunderpath. If not, she would have to hope that the bees would be impassive from the cold weather.

 **The next morning:**

Needlepaw awoke to the quiet chatter of the few warriors that were already awake. The patchy den walls were filled with dappled sunlight, giving everything a surreal golden tint, and the air held a cool briskness that seemed to entice energy into every one of Needlepaw's limbs. This felt like the exact definition of peaceful, and Needlepaw say on the ground for a moment, enjoy the warmth that the sun could bring mingling with the slight leaf-fall breeze on her fur.

Breathing in the fresh scent of cold, Needlepaw made her way to where Mossypaw and Honeypaw were sharing a lizard. She grabbed a finch that had strayed too far from its territory and smiled as the two apprentices beckoned her forward.

" It's so quiet out here!" Honeypaw exclaimed, breaking the mentioned silence.

" I know right." Needlepaw sighed.

"I can't believe I still have to complete the apprentices' den, the leader's den, the elder's den, and the medicine cat den." Needlepaw said with a laugh. Now this was a thought that went well to shatter the peace.

"Well, you better make the elders' den properly or you'll never hear the end of it!" Mossypaw purred, nudging his sister in the doing, laughing at the time when she had accidentally left a thorn inside Lynxfoot's nest.

"That was an accident!" she protested, and Needlepaw couldn't help but grin at her friend's mock indignation.

" I wonder what Pebblestar will think of for your assessment?" Needlepaw added mischievously. "Perhaps she will ask you to line every one of the nests with the softest feathers you can find. "

Mossypaw flicked his orange tabby before responding, " Well, I suppose that we can worry about that in a moon right? Seriously though working through Pebblestar's assessments has become more of a challenge every time."

"Well, maybe it's because during apprentice's previous training she regretted not having had them train under pressure. I know that Violetpaw and Ivypaw seem to complain a lot about training assessments." Honeypaw commented.

"This could be a one time thing." Needlepaw suggested, "We all know that Pebblestar tries a new idea here and there but usually still goes with traditional warrior traditions. Mintmuzzle and Algaepond never had to do any of that, and I heard no talk of your assessments being this way." she added.

" Actually, Ravenwing did say something about hunting." Mossypaw seemed to recall.

" Well, we can see that in a moon from now, Needlepaw, I can't believe that you and Snowypaw are actually becoming warriors!" She exclaimed.

" I suppose that the one thing worth it about this is the reward. But guys, I haven't even been to the Moonstone yet, so it could be in several days from now. The thing that I regret about this is that all the light will probably be ship it out of the dens after this." Needlepaw cautioned.

"I would rather sleep in the dark than freeze, I don't think that you'll have many complaints if you ask me." Honeypaw encouraged.

"Talking about this, where in the world has Snowypaw gone? Don't tell me that she let already?" Needlepaw questioned.

" She left a few moments before you got here," The golden she-cat answered.

"Oh." Said Needlepaw, " So, what's your training schedules today?" She asked, trying to make conversation.

Two pairs of green eyes turned to her. " Well-

" Mossypaw! You have dawn patrol! Get over here!" Called a voice that Needlepaw identified as Lizardfang's.

Honeypaw laughed while Mossypaw dusted his ginger fur before saying, " Well, I guess that answers your question! Sorry, I have to go."

 ** _NEXT CHAPTER IS PART TWO._**


	3. Need more Time: Part one and a half

**PART TWO** (last time I tried to do this it came out in code.

Shortly after his departure, Honeypaw was called by her mentor, Robinwing, to go on a hunting patrol. Short of procrastination excuses, Needlepaw headed back to work. She barricaded the parts of the medecine cat den that were exposed to open air, patched up the elder's den, made sure that the elder's den could resist a tornado, and finally, came to the apprentices' den. It was probably the den that was in the worst state. She could see many hole inside the wall, and sunlight filtered into the den, making it as clear as day sky that although the small opening were a blessing during warm green-leaf days, in the winter they could be a dangerous curse in the winter, and green cough was the last thing that the clan needed this winter, especially with seven kits in the nursery, only three of which would be becoming apprentices this leaf-bare. She gazed up at the sun and realized with a panicked jolt that it was already past sun-high. By then the patrols had returned and the clearing was filled with the endless talk of elders, the animated chatter of warriors and apprentices, and the squeals of the latter mixed with the sharper sound of the kits.

She repeated her procedure, this time having to add more brambles than she had during the other preparations, then set off into the forest to find moss. She breathed in the scent of pine trees, and let the dewy pine needles littering the ground sink around her paws. She let out a small curse she. She stubbed her paw on a hidden root, but apart from that continued her journey conveniently. She halted when she spotted one of the best moss gathering areas in all of the clan territories. Before her stood a lightning-struck maple tree, lying half down in the marsh, the perfect moist habitat for moss. She ran her claws down on the moss repetitively, hissing every time they snagged into the the rough edges of the bark.

When she had gathered a sufficient amount of moss, she headed back to camp, briefly pausing outside the bramble barrier, and tucked the moss inside the small openings underneath the ivy, trying to make the thorns get stick inside the moss. Only in the nursery did she make sure to take all the sharp thorns away from harms reach. At the end of the time her class ached and she wanted to rest, but she movements were becoming much sloppier and quicker, for she knew that she was running out of time with every stolen glance at the sun.

She nearly jumped out of her fur when she heard the determining words, just as she finally slumped to the floor, a wave of relief crashing over her, she had completed her task she would be a warrior," Needlepaw! Snowypaw!" A shiver coursed through her, her time for this assessment was over.

 **Snowypaw's point of view from sunrise to sunset:**

Snowypaw awoke to the light of dawn, and she could tell that none of the other warriors were awake yet. The sound of silence filled her ears, and she found them straining to find something to listen to, not being used to the silence. Beyond camp, she could hear a few birds singing. She shivered and puffed out her silky fur. The coming of leaf-bare announced an end to her hunting disadvantages, her white fur would blend in perfectly with the snow laden on the ground like a soft cloudy carpet, leaving only her bright green eyes to be noticed.

She wanted to waste time, desperately. Perhaps she should go fetch Needlepaw and they could glide through the trees together, for fault of the marshes being to cold to swim, but her littermate was also busy, and if she wasted any more time on this after she had taken a break underneath the rainfall the previous day she might have to finish late.

Without wasting too much time, she leaned down to dink from a half-frozen puddle, relieved when this time the icy feeling did not feel like fire. She then returned to her improvised hiding place and examined the samples given to her by Silverberry very carefully. She then set off at an almost running pace, bounding through the forest. She had no trouble finding most herbs, Sliverberry's instructions had been quite clear as to that, but by the fifth herb that day, she knew that she was running out of time to complete the task. By the time she could see the light of the sun dimming, she was practically racing through the slushy marshes at full force, and when she finally had collected every one of the herbs, she had to make multiple journeys back to camp, ignoring all but brief comments from her fellow clanmates. After that, came the issue of the honey. Panting, Snowypaw ran until her lungs protested strongly against her.

She arrived at the only place that Silverberry had mentioned as containing honey. Snowypaw warily padded up to a neighbouring maple tree, snapping off a piece of loose bark, before resuming her original quest. She wanted to have doubts, she really did, but the sky was beginning to be tinted orange, and she had no time for speculation. She unsheathed her claws and hesitantly made her way to a bee hive that hung from a branch, a foreboding feeling spreading from the tip of her ears to the very edges of her claws and tail. Reaching the thick branch, she edged closer to the nest before starting in surprise at the sound, or should she say lack of sound, coming from the hive. Peering closer, she saw nothing inside, but what she did see was a thin trail of honey, dripping from a small honeycomb. She snagged the honeycomb onto the piece of maple bark and scooped up the remaining honey leaking down the cracked bark. She then made her way through the forest at top speed, feeling her fur being caught inside the pointy ends of the pine needles and occasional bush, but ignoring it, she could see the sun setting, she wasn't even sure she would make it on time. She burst through the entrance and stormed into Silverberry's den.

"I'm done!" She exclaimed, perhaps a little too loudly.

"Thank you Snowyp-" Snowypaw did not take the time to listen to her words before sliding into the clearing a cloud of dusty earth and pine needles, just in time to catch Lilyclaw and Dustwhisker calling " Needlepaw! Snowypaw!"

Snowypaw willed her panting into a more normal state of breathing, and miserably failed, before padding up to her mentor, almost skipping with joy about getting her free time back. She would finally be cheered for as a warrior soon. The kits seemed to gape at her in surprise, and she purred, amused at them, quite content to break the cats' belief that she was a disobedient cat who would never complete clanwork.

 **Meanwhile:**

Needlepaw couldn't believe it, now that it was over it finally seems worth it. Although she still held a grudge for what Pebblestar, Lilyclaw, and Dustwhisker had asked her to do, for the moment all of that was swamped by a light feeling.

"Snowypaw, have you collected all the herbs that Silverberry required?" Lilyclaw started.

" She has." Silverberry stated from the other end of the clearing before Snowypaw could reply.

" And Needlepaw, we will now go around each den to see if you have fulfilled you task properly." At Dustwhisker's words Needlepaw tensed again. What if she failed? She watched as Dustwhisker, Lilyclaw, and Pebblestar, to make matters worse, inspected each den thoroughly.

"Needlepaw, after inspection it seems that you have done a satisfying job." Needlepaw let out a breath that she had not realized she was holding. "The last step to your task is to explain to us how you built your dens." Dustwhisker explained, looking apologetic.

 _Great, talking_. Needlepaw thought to herself sarcastically. She sighed and explained.

" I added a base of pine branches, filled in the gaps using brambles and ivy, added more ivy so that the leaves were facing the outside and could shed rain, and added moss and earth between the left-over spaces underneath the ivy. That should make it so that instead of coming right through, snow will either slide off or pile up to make an even greater wall," She said in a breath.

" If all goes well Needlepaw should be going to the moonstone this night and the next day you two will be made warriors by sunset." Pebblestar said briskly before padding away with the brown and grey tabby mentors.

After that, Snowypaw and Needlepaw were dismissed for the rest of the day, which they spent sharing fresh-kill with their friends and glancing towards the leader's freshly built den every five seconds. When Dustwhisker finally padded out, his face showed nothing of his intentions, and Needlepaw glanced at Snowypaw.

"Needlepaw, you will be going to the moonstone tonight, and tomorrow you and Snowypaw might be made warriors." He announced. Needlepaw grinned, " Needlepaw, you better go get your traveling herbs." He added.

Padding into the medicine cat den, Needlepaw forced herself not the flinch at the bitter taste of the fresh herbs. It was a miracle that they had remained green until this point, but until now the weather had been clement considering it was leaf-fall.

 ** _NEXT CHAPTER IS PART TWO._**


	4. Need more Time: Part two

**_LAST PART_** (last time I tried to do this it came out in code)

 **While Needlepaw is gone to the moonstone:**

Snowypaw gazed at the point where Needlepaw had disappeared for a while before padding over to Greenmist, who was sending out a dusk patrol.

"Lilyclaw, Springleaf, Wintergreen (it's a plant), Marshclaw, Rockfoot, and

Honeypaw, you can go on dusk patrol." She was saying.

" Can I join?" Snowypaw asked.

Greenmist looked at her hesitantly before replying, " I suppose you can go if you want to, Wintergreen will be leading."

About mid-way through the patrol, Wintergreen gazed at the clouds pointedly, " It looks like a storm is coming, and judging by the thickness of the following, it's going the be a big one."

A few cats let out annoyed comments, while Snowypaw teasingly protested to Honeypaw that storms were wonderful, but when it started to snow, most cats began to mutter curses.

" Well, this is a sudden change of weather." Snowypaw commented, as just this morning she had been picking still-green herbs.

" I know," Wintergreen said, " It looks like it might be a blizzard. Cats, I think maybe we should head back to camp. It looks like Needlepaw and Snowypaw's work might be if deeper use than we thought."

"A blizzard! At this time of year?" Marshclaw exclaimed, echoing Snowypaw's thoughts.

" That's bad. Early leaf-bare means less prey to eat." Springleaf (Spring like the water source) said in a worried tone.

"Shouldn't we be hunting then?" Rockfoot added.

" Greenmist is already on a hunting patrol, we should be fine for a while, but, I agree with you, if the blizzard comes we will need more prey." Wintergreen's determined words echoed through the forest as the cats went to work.

By the time Snowypaw was called back to the patrol, dawn was already nearing, and the snow was starting to blur out all of her senses.

"We should head back to camp." Wintergreen's words were whisked away by the wind. " We have enough prey and I am not risking any cat being sick because of this weather."

The cats bounded pack to camp through the whistling wind and once Wintergreen made sure that her whole patrol was back, Snowypaw shook her fur and padded into the apprentices' den, noting that although it was dark inside, Needlepaw really had made a good job.

Honeypaw, Mossypaw, Violetpaw, and Ivaw were already in the den when she padded in and lay down in her moss nest. They greeted her before going back to debating animately about whether the storm would become a blizzard or not. At this, a sort of paranoia invaded Snowypaw at the thought of Needlepaw being stuck in a blizzard, When the snow failed to cease, only getting stronger at every moment, an authoritative voice broke through the cats' sleep.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather hear beneath high-ledge for a clan meeting," Pebblestar called. Many cats with bushe-up fur padded into the clearing, but Snowypaw noted that Goldenbranch, Morningdew, and their kits remained inside the den. Her gaze slowly turned towards the end of the clearing and she let out a startled purr at this sight of her littermate. Needlepaw was standing at the edge of the clearing, looking like a snowy monster, but otherwise safe.

" Cats of Shadowclan, it has come to my attention that this storm has turned into a blizzard. With Needlepaw and Dustwhisker back, I would like to ask that every cat remain in the camp, and preferably in their den." Pebblestar yowled before adding, " Meeting dis-

Snowypaw and three other cats did not hear the end of that sentence as they were suddenly hit by a wall of snow plunging down from tall pine tree at the edge of camp. The wind was knocked out of her, and she heard many cats gasp before she was completely covered.

 **Needlepaw at the Moonstone:**

Needlepaw looked at the clouds hurriedly before bouncing off to join her mentor. He was waiting at the entrance, mothermouth, Needlepaw recalled the name.

"Follow me." Dustwhisker ordered.

Needlepaw nodded and plunged into the darkness, leaving the ominous clouds behind. She unconsciously counted the path, one left turn, three right turns, left again, and right, followed by two lefts, and- Needlepaw suddenly felt a cool breeze ruffling her fur.

"Is there an opening here?" She asked.

" This is the moonstone cave," Dustwhisker answered, "I just hope these clouds clear up."

And they did clear up, and at that moment, the moonstone blazed to life, just for one moment, and that moment was all it took before the raging storm crashed overhead, one tiny moment where Needlepaw's indifferent mask faded.

 **Two days later:**

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath high-ledge for a clan meeting!" Pebblestar called from the top of the towering rock.

 _This is it, my ceremony!_ Snowypaw thought. It was a sunny day, the snow from the blizzard that had caught her, Wintergreen, Milkdust, and Sootfoot off guard the last time there was a gathering having mostly faded, leaving only good-natured laughing at the incident

" We all know that with leaf-bare comes harsh conditions. We also know that with the making of new warriors comes a new knowledge of the thriving of our clan! Needlepaw, Snowypaw, step forward. I, Pebblestar, leader of Shadowclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warr iors in their turn. Needlepaw, Snowypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?"

" I do," Snowypaw stated clearly.

"I do," a rare trace of emotion was held in Needlepaw's voice.

"Needlepaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Needlefall. Star clan honours your intelligence and skills, and welcomes you as a full warrior of Shadowclan.

By that point, Snowypaw had to force herself to pay attention, blood rushing in her ears in anticipation.

"Snowypaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Snowyhollow. Star clan honours your bravery and knowledge, and welcomes you as a full warrior of Shadowclan. Snowypaw, no- Snowyhollow slowly padded up to Pebblestar and licked her shoulder.

"Needlefall! Snowyhollow! Needlefall! Snowyhollow! Needlefall! Snowyhollow!"

 **Well... I know that the ending was almost too happy, but these stories probably won't all be this happy. Please review. I accept requests and constructive criticism.**


	5. Judgement

**Hello once again. On the suggestion of Pandean I will be ranting about teachers (mentors in this case) who have it out for you (it will be unfair, and that makes it interesting), and when people never believe you. Warning: This will be a two-shot ( know that doesn't exist).**

 **Pandean: That's a great rant ideas. Thank you for pointing out my typo mistakes, I will be more careful in the future (does anybody know how to shut off auto-correctors? They don't help).**

 **I-really-hope-not: Thank you for reviewing all of my writing:).**

 **Main Characters:**

\- **_Ivorypaw/fang: White she-cat with a peachy-cream-coloured swirl pattern and one blue eye one green eye._**

 ** _-Flammingcrow: Ginger tom with black tail-tip and amber eyes._**

 ** _-Skypaw: Blue-grey she-cat with sky-blue eyes._**

 ** _\- Firepaw/fly: Brown she-cat with orange(ish) eyes._**

 ** _-Velvetfoot: Velvet coloured she-cat (pinkish gray like Heatherstar), with blue eyes._**

 ** _-Lightstar: White and black speckled she-cat with green eyes._**

"Ivorypaw! Hurry up! It's already sun high and you've only caught two pieces of prey!" Flammingcrow yowled.

"But, Skypaw isn't even back yet." She mewed pointedly.

"I'm sure she's caught far much more than you anyways." He growled warningly, his fur seeming to swell with pride at the mention of his daughter.

Ivorypaw fumed internally at her temporary mentor while trudging back to camp in the snow.

"The next time you do such a thing you will be cleaning the elder's den for two days." He warned.

Knowing not to protest, she stalked off and back to camp. Seconds after she passed the bramble barrier, Skypaw entered. She was only carrying a scrawny squirrel, but when Flammingcrow saw her, he immediately rushed to her side. She glared at him, knowing that this could cost her another afternoon in the elders' den.

"What a nice catch! You sure are turning into a fine warrior!" He purred.

Seething, Ivorypaw practically threw her plump mouse and sparrow onto the fresh-kill pile, earning a few glares from neighbouring clanmates. Firepaw, her littermate, along with Skypaw, glanced at her sympathetically, but seemed to know that it was best to avoid her when she was in this mood. She headed to the elder's den, where her _real_ mentor had retired two moons before the end of her apprenticeship.

Seeing the flare in Ivorypaw's eyes, Velvetfoot nodded slowly, "It's Flammingcrow again, isn't it?" Her question was more of a statement though, Ivorypaw noted, "I'm sure he doesn't mean to anger you." She ventured.

"I am telling you, he has a serious case of favouritism and treats me unfairly," She explained for the thousand _th_ time. Sadly, every time she contested that he gave her chores for unreasonable excuses and kept denying any ounce of talent she owned, Flammingcrow defended himself by exaggerating so-called rebellious acts that Ivorypaw had committed, over-doing every one of the "bad" things she did that any other apprentice would have gotten away with.

"Ivorypaw, I know you don't like him, but he is a valuable cat, and you cannot just go on denying this until the end of your apprenticeship just because he punishes you when you do wrong things." The velvet coloured she-cat offered, looking irritated.

Fluffing out her white fur, which held a creamy swirl pattern, she padded out of Thunderclan camp and to the place that she went to when confronted to loneliness. Odd eyes flashing, she dissimulated her scent into a patch of juniper berries. She then climbed to the top of the tallest tree in the forest with one intention in mind: She would get revenge.

 ** _PART TWO WILL BE OUT TODAY OR TOMORROW_**. **Please R &R.**


	6. Judgement part two

**Hello once again, this is part two of Judgement.**

 **Credits: I do not own warriors, and the idea of things inside the nest was inspired by Quietleaf's story: Pranked.**

 **Thank you very much to reviewers as well as readers.**

From that day on, a silent agreement was made between Flammingcofw and Ivorypaw: Neither of them was going to give up until the other did. With renewed pleasure, as she had been forced to clean out the nursery because she had been 'purposely doing a bad job in training' because she had been beaten be Flammingcrow three times, she grabbed a long rose stem and silently placed it inside his nest. Every time he would punish her, he could expect thorns or ants in his nest, or a stolen piece of prey from his catches, or distraction during a mock-battle.

Nearing the last moon of her apprenticeship, Ivorypaw was looking forward to a time when Flammingcrow could no longer treat her like a former rogue.

"Ivorypaw! You're late for patrol! You can refresh the fresh-kill pile and clean out every den tonight!" A voice meowed smugly from outside.

Ivorypaw padded forward and let out a hiss when she saw that they were not late at all, they weren't even on patrol.

" Well then, come along." He said, evidently catching the glint in her eye that indicated she was going to try yet again to denounce him.

" Wait, wait a moment," I have to eat a piece of prey first."

Ivorypaw's heart sank, he was on to her again. When he finally finished his finch, they raced through the forest.

" Can we join?" He asked Goldenbranch, who was leading the patrol, "Ivorypaw made us late," he sighed.

"But you were-"

"Ivorypaw! If you ever want to be a warrior you'd better learn to always be ready for anything." Stonetooth jeered from behind.

"He made us late! He did it!" She blurted.

"Ivorypaw, enough is enough! You can not go on blaming your mentor for your mistakes! He is a trusted warrior and that's the final point!' Goldenbranch reprimanded harshly.

Skypaw and Firepaw flinched from the back of the patrol, but they seemed to know that if they protested the warriors would only tell them that they were lying for her defence and that there was no need to do that.

Before any more reproaches could be made, a screech was suddenly heard from the river beside them, " Riverclan, attack!" And cats came rushing over them.

Ivorypaw was immediately tackled by a full-grown warrior, who easily pinned her before she even had time to deliver the blow she was dealing. She screeched as he bit her ear, and flailed uselessly beneath his larger figure. From the corner of her eye, she could see Flammingcrow watching her with a smirk in his eyes. Fear coursed through Ivorypaw as she saw The grey tabby warrior lean closer to her.

At that moment, a golden mass of fur threw the cat away from her while shouting, "Flammingcrow, why are you just watching! "

Busy with the grey warrior, Goldenbranch was unable to interfere with the silver tabby who bowled Flammingcrow over. Cringing at the thought, Ivorypaw ran over to the long-furred she-cat and bit her exposed tail. Saving Flammingcrow from further injury.

" Cats of Thunderclan, we have three new warriors amongst us.

" Ivorypaw, Firepaw, Skypaw, step forward. I, Gingerstar, leader of Thunderclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices, they have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Do you process to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." The cats responded, nearly in unison.

"Then by the powers given to me by Starclan, I give you your warrior names."

" Ivorypaw, step forward. From this day forward, you shall be known as Ivoryfang, Starclan honours your skill and quick-thinking, and welcomes you as a full warrior of Thunderclan."

"Ivoryfang! Ivoryfang! Ivoryfang!" The crowd cheered, and Ivoryfang grinned in satisfaction, she was finally free of Flammingcrow, and she smirked at him smugly.

" Firepaw, step forward. From this moment on you shall be known as Firefly. Starclan honours you compassion and energy and welcomes you as a full warrior of Thunderclan."

"Firefly! Firefly! Firefly!" The brown she-cat's orange eyes gleamed proudly.

"Skypaw, step forward. From this moment on you shall be known as Skyeye. Starclan honours your dedication and enthusiasm and welcomes you as a full warrior of Thunderclan.

"Skyeye! Skyeye! Skyeye!" The clan cheered.

 **Well... That's pretty much the end of Flammingcrow's tyranny, he should have heled her during the battle if he wanted to hinder her more... Please R &R.**


	7. Hideout

**Hello again. I will be completing I-really-hope-not's request on an other chapter (sorry). This one is not really a rant, I suppose it can stand as a rant against wanting to write a one-shot without having a place to post it? So, what if I make this rant about crowds when you don't want them? (Oh well, this will be whatever it turns out to be).**

 **I-really-hope-not: That's a nice idea... Challenging. Thanks.**

Asterpaw shifted uncomfortably on the dry grass beneath her paws. She flattened her ears against the screeches of kits and the occasional splash of water. The sun was unbearably hot and most Riverclan warriors were busy lazing in the sun or swimming I the water, probably the

only clan unaffected .The constant chatter of warriors was like the constant thrumming of the river than ran protectively around the camp.

The sky was nearly cloudless, clear apart from a few lingering wispy clouds, shifting ever so slightly at every passing moments in the almost non-existent breeze, and she cringed as a kit tripped over her tail, landing on her soft pink nose before running to her mother. Watching a patch of stray lilies sway softly in a newly-found breeze that ruffled her fluffy grey fur, her focuse kept being shattered as the noise from her clanmates and the seeping heat that was starting to pain her. She had to stop herself from hissing at her clanmates to be quiet, and then concluded that she wanted to get a small break from this constant noise and heat.

Sighing, she got up and retreated down silently into reeds, grinning slightly, she dipped her front paws into the fresh water of the river. She shivered from the transition from warmth to cold, and deciding on the quick way, backed away slightly before taking a leaping jump into the frothy waters below. Out of practiced habit, she opened her eyes slightly, watching oxygen bubbles from her fall rush back to the surface. She waited until the bubbles had faded, blessing her ability to navigate the swirling current, and reached out her paw to feel for an old willow root reaching through the earth and into the water. Snagging her claws onto it, she pulled herself into a greater darkness of a small cave, and let the little bit of oxygen that wasn't left screaming out of her lungs to guide her up to the surface.

Gasping, she scrambled onto a mossy shore, feeling the water pool around her paws. Opening her eyes, she looked at all the efforts she had put through her work. The clay mixed into the earth walls of the den were capturing delicate flowers she had stolen from twolegs, including her favourite; aster, larkspur, and violet. Through the cracked ceiling, tiny bits of us lights peaked through the darkness. Over her head, intertwined with more flowers and ivy arched the silvery roots that supported the soil above. The floor was lined with the softest moss she could collect, and before her stood a small pool of water, indigo near the bottom, tinted white and sky-blue with the sun that shone over the surface beyond the dissimulated wall. From her vantage point she could still see the water rippling slowly from when she had disturbed it, so different from the uninterrupted river outside.

 **So... Well, I felt like writing about that hideout:). Please leave your comments and suggestions for future updates.**


End file.
